Who or what made you want to become an illustrator?

Since childhood, I have always wanted to be an artist in some capacity. It’s a cliché, but I have been drawing as early as I could pick up a crayon. I spent a lot of my time drawing, painting, and making things as a child. I got really excited when we had to make something physical or a visual aid for school projects. 

I have always had a love of picture books, and it was something I thought would be fun to do, but for a while I didn't think it would be possible to make a living as an illustrator. In high school, I started following the work of illustrators I admired on social media which started to heavily inspire the work I was making for myself and in my art class at school. When I went to Watkins College of Art, my initial plan was to become a graphic designer for a branding or ad agency and maybe try to break into freelance illustration later in life, but it seemed unlikely. It wasn’t until my first Illustration class that I started to consider that illustration could be a career path for me. I incorporated my illustrations into almost all my design projects and started experimenting with different styles, mediums, etc. Throughout other illustration classes and spending my breaks from school working on self-driven illustration projects, I found I really gravitated towards playful, light-hearted work that fit well within the children’s market. I also took an art licensing illustration class that also made a big impact on me, and now a lot of the work I make is licensed for the gift industry.

What advice would you offer someone just starting out as a children’s illustrator?

At the beginning, I would advise your number one priority be developing your craft and experimenting with different processes and types of illustration work. Even if you find you don’t enjoy a certain type of project or medium, I think this can be really helpful info in figuring out what you do enjoy. Overall, it’s a process of elimination. With the age of social media, sometimes I see emerging artists put marketing above honing their craft. Focusing on the quality of your work will develop a more sustainable practice and attract clients for projects you actually want. 

Draw, draw, draw. Make a consistent practice of drawing daily (or almost daily). My work from 5 years ago is so wildly different from the stuff I make now. Experimenting and trying new processes is how you will find your voice. 

Try to find inspiration outside of trends and art you see on social media like Instagram. If everyone is looking at the same stuff, it just creates an echo chamber of work that looks the same. Looking to art history or interests outside of this industry can really help inform your own unique perspective. 

Find a community of people in your field or similar creative work. Having a support system and others to commiserate with can help put things into perspective when you hit tough spots. Also, having good mentor relationships is immensely helpful.

How do you overcome a creative block?

Getting out in nature helps me clear my head. I love to take hiking trips or go on short nature walks throughout the week. I’m lucky to live in an area that is very green and beautiful. 

Switching mediums has also been super helpful at times. Lately, I’ve been doing watercolor and gouache work instead of digital and it’s brought me a lot of joy taking on the challenge of analog painting. I also work with ceramics and taking things into the three dimensional space can provide really great inspiration for my illustration work.

What are some of your favourite subjects to draw?

I am often inspired by nature so I tend to draw a lot of flora and fauna. I love to depict animal characters doing people things! I also love illustrating lush environments with a variety of flowers.